does timing belt failures give warning signs?
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Anonymous
| My odyssey just went over 100000 miles in 5 years, and was recently advised to change the timing belt during an oil change. Advisor kinda scared me by saying to me it can just snap while driving even if there are no warning signs. Just wondering if this is true and should i change it or wait until something starts going a little off. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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It is definitely one of the most important preventative maintenance items you can do on a car. It’s also quite costly. No, there’s no hallmark warning sign. 100k miles is conservative because the consequences of not doing it and it breaking are essentially a totaled car. For what it’s worth, I got one done around 120k but felt I was gambling over 110k. Highly likely you won’t see a failure until 150 or 200 or something, but it’s really smart to just bite the bullet and get it done. Unless you want to get rid of your car shortly after 100 and then maybe just trade it in early or something to avoid. It runs between 1500-4000 dollars depending on the model and whether you’re going independent or dealer. I think typically includes water pump and maybe some gaskets? On the mdx, I think it was around 1900 and I went to an independent garage. It’s not super technically complicated so like most repairs, I don’t see why you’d go to the dealer.
Back in the day, I did one myself - the amount of pain in the ass isn’t worth the savings to me. It’s a half day for a mechanic or like a week for an average Joe. |
Anonymous
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PP is correct in that if your timing belt goes when driving, that can pretty much be the end of your engine. The only warning sign you might get is a squeaking sound from a loosening belt.
It’s a pricy repair because a lot of pieces need to come out in order to do the remove/replace. And because of that, it’s common and appropriate to do other, equally inconvenient but necessary maintenance while you have everything apart — water pump is the usual pairing. If you’re a gambler and comfortable with mechanical things, you can check the belt each time you’re ready to get behind the wheel. But that’s not a guarantee, and it is an inconvenient way to live. If you want to keep the car, just plan to get it replaced in the next 3 months so you can breathe easy. |
Anonymous
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Honda recommends changing the timing belt at 105k but it is super uncommon for the belt on this engine to snap at your mileage. I have 150k on the original belt with no issues. What happens sometimes on odysseys is that the tensioner goes bad and this leads to a belt failure. The tensioner will give you plenty of warning. It makes noises for months before failing.
Anyway, if you decide to go for it and change the belt, make sure you get the tensioner, which is the weakest part in the time belt assembly, changed as well. Most of the cost in changing the belt is labor to get to the belt. Once you there it is little additional labor to change components like the tensioner. |
Anonymous
Is this the same as the drive belt on a honda? I ask because I had to replace that for a safety inspection and it didn't make any noise before and now it makes a squeaking at the start and driving a few minutes never had that problem before with the old drive belt. Is this now another problem like the tensioner? Does that mean that's getting ready to go? I ask because you seem to know what you're talking about 
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Anonymous
You are confusing the timing belt and serpentine belt. You can’t check the timing belt each time you get in the car, it is not visible. |
Anonymous
| No |
Anonymous
Drive belt is different. Why did you have to replace it for the safety inspection? Was it replaced by the dealer? If not, aftermarket drive belts sometimes result in squeaking. It is not going to ruin your car if it breaks but the alternator, power steering and ac woukd stop working and then the battery would discharge and then the car would shut down. So you may want to take care of that. It costs $100 to change at a good independent shop |
Anonymous
| You were supposed to do it between 60,000 and 100,000, so you are very overdue. If it breaks then you’ll need a new engine. |
Anonymous
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If they recommend it, get it changed. I experienced a timing belt failure many years ago in a car that only had 90,000 miles at the time. Luckily, I was on a smaller road and driving at about 30 mph when it happened, so no real danger and the car engine was not ruined. But I did have small children in the car and it was very inconvenient!
Ever since then, I am always careful to do any recommended maintenance at or before the appropriate times. |
Anonymous
Not true for Honda. 105k or 7 years is Honda recommendation |
Anonymous
They showed me a small piece of the side of it was missing but it worked just fine. They failed me for it, ordered the new drive belt and put it on for me. It was done at a garage not at the dealership. There is just squeaking on start up and the first few minutes when driving. I don't know if they put it on wrong, (is that even possible?) or anything but strange because it didn't do this BEFORE and there was a small piece missing from the belt and this is a fresh new one. Since this is a new one would it make sense to replace it again? Also how do I know this won't happen again with another new one? Does noise mean it will break soon? Thanks so much for your help! |
Anonymous
I don’t think it would break soon. I had mine squeaking for weeks before I got to replacing it. If it is new, it should still be under warranty. Can’t you go back to the garage and have it replaced for free? Use an OEM belt to avoid issues. Also, if you decide to do the timing belt, the drive belt has to come off first, so its replacement is often included in the timing belt package. |
Anonymous
| Just don’t do the timing belt at this garage. It is super important to get quality components for the timing belt replacement, OEM is best |
Anonymous
What year are your Hondas, most just have one belt, a drive belt not a timing belt? |